﻿452 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  identifying 
  the 
  slayer 
  of 
  an 
  animal 
  when 
  hunt- 
  

   ing, 
  arrows 
  were 
  always 
  decorated 
  in 
  pairs. 
  This 
  custom 
  gave 
  rise 
  

   to 
  an 
  expression 
  — 
  mo 
  n 
  wi 
  n 
  'do 
  n 
  (literally, 
  mo", 
  "arrow:" 
  wi 
  n 
  (lo", 
  "to- 
  

   gether, 
  or 
  united") 
  — 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  things 
  were 
  similar. 
  Among 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  the 
  decoration 
  of 
  an 
  arrow 
  was 
  always 
  individual; 
  there 
  was 
  

   no 
  mark 
  common 
  to 
  a 
  gens. 
  Among 
  the 
  Ponca, 
  as 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  

   mentioned, 
  certain 
  gentes 
  painted 
  their 
  arrows 
  in 
  a 
  prescribed 
  man- 
  

   ner. 
  Sometimes 
  arrows 
  were 
  identified 
  by 
  the 
  shape 
  or 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  

   stone 
  arrowhead, 
  shaped 
  as 
  a 
  "turtle's 
  tongue," 
  red, 
  black, 
  or 
  white 
  

   in 
  color. 
  An 
  unfinished 
  arrow 
  shaft 
  was 
  called 
  mo"'ca. 
  

  

  Feathers 
  for 
  arrows 
  bore 
  the 
  exclusive 
  name 
  iiha'ihage, 
  an 
  old 
  

   term. 
  The 
  act 
  of 
  putting 
  on 
  the 
  feather 
  was 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  a'iha, 
  also 
  

   an 
  old 
  term. 
  Before 
  the 
  advent 
  of 
  horses 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows 
  were 
  

   made 
  long, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  insure 
  accuracy. 
  After 
  the 
  horse 
  came 
  into 
  

   use 
  the 
  hunter 
  could 
  shoot 
  at 
  closer 
  range, 
  and 
  a 
  shorter 
  bow 
  was 
  em- 
  

   ployed 
  ; 
  moreover, 
  the 
  long 
  bow 
  was 
  inconvenient 
  to 
  handle 
  on 
  horse- 
  

   back. 
  

  

  The 
  quiver 
  (mo 
  n 
  'sTiiha) 
  , 
  figure 
  100, 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  skin; 
  a 
  broad 
  strap 
  

   fastened 
  at 
  the 
  open 
  end 
  and 
  worn 
  over 
  the 
  shoulder 
  served 
  to 
  hold 
  it. 
  

   Quivers 
  made 
  from 
  otter 
  skins 
  and 
  ornamented 
  with 
  quills 
  or 
  beads 
  

   were 
  used 
  on 
  dress 
  occasions. 
  

  

  The 
  shield, 
  which 
  was 
  circular, 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  rawhide 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  

   shoulder 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  bull. 
  The 
  piece 
  intended 
  for 
  use 
  was 
  held 
  

   over 
  a 
  fire, 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  allowed 
  to 
  shrink 
  gradually, 
  meanwhile 
  being 
  

   pulled 
  until 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  spring 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  hide. 
  It 
  was 
  then 
  cut 
  to 
  

   the 
  proper 
  size. 
  The 
  cover 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  deer 
  skin 
  painted 
  to 
  repre- 
  

   sent 
  a 
  vision 
  that 
  had 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  owner 
  when 
  fasting. 
  

  

  Contents 
  of 
  the 
  Tent 
  of 
  War 
  

  

  In 
  June, 
  1884, 
  the 
  entire 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  Tent 
  of 
  War 
  were 
  com- 
  

   mitted 
  to 
  the 
  writers 
  by 
  the 
  surviving 
  hereditary 
  keeper, 
  to 
  be 
  placed 
  

   in 
  the 
  Peabody 
  Museum, 
  Harvard 
  University, 
  where 
  they 
  now 
  are. 
  

   The 
  ceremonies 
  connected 
  with 
  these 
  articles 
  had 
  become 
  obsolete 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  changed 
  conditions 
  brought 
  about 
  by 
  the 
  occupancy 
  

   by 
  white 
  settlers 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  Omaha 
  reservation; 
  

   yet 
  the 
  objects 
  were 
  regarded 
  with 
  respect 
  and 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  supersti- 
  

   tious 
  awe. 
  The 
  older 
  men 
  remembered 
  the 
  days 
  when 
  these 
  articles 
  

   were 
  potent 
  in 
  the 
  tribal 
  life; 
  the 
  younger 
  generation 
  knew 
  of 
  them 
  

   A-aguely, 
  but 
  had 
  inherited 
  a 
  fear 
  of 
  their 
  mysterious 
  power. 
  The 
  

   keeper, 
  Mo 
  n 
  'hi"thi 
  n 
  ge 
  (fig. 
  101), 
  found 
  the 
  charge 
  of 
  these 
  things 
  a 
  

   serious 
  care 
  and 
  anxiety. 
  He 
  kept 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  tent 
  near 
  his 
  little 
  

   house, 
  and 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  becoming 
  old 
  and 
  feeble 
  he 
  feared 
  they 
  might 
  

   inadvertently 
  suffer 
  harm 
  and 
  the 
  tribe 
  be 
  supernaturally 
  punished 
  

   for 
  the 
  accident. 
  Because 
  of 
  these 
  fears 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  changes 
  that 
  

   had 
  already 
  taken 
  place 
  and 
  were 
  still 
  going 
  on 
  — 
  as, 
  that 
  chief- 
  

  

  